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The Official Michigan Winter Thread

490K views 8K replies 153 participants last post by  sabatoa 
#1 ·
Alright everyone since Summer is over, fall has just begun and we've already had our first rail jam of the year, it's time to start a new thread for the 10/11 winter.

Last year we had the "Southeast" michigan thread, but I think we should do all of Michigan. Sure, most of population lives in S/E michigan but we all ride the same resorts in the LP and even the UP if we get a chance, so we should have one thread to bring everyone together.

Cheers everyone we're probably only like 70 days from open resorts!
 
#5,187 ·
Hey Dave, Glad to hear you had a good time up there. I was curious to know what you mean when you refer to most of the runs being "steep?" Can you guesstimate the degree of slope?

Also, I gotta say from the couple of pics you posted, The trees don't look so tight that I feel like I wouldn't be able to navigate my way around them. (Might just be my ego is far exceeded by my skills, but still,.. ) Except for the rock and cliff drops, what you posted doesn't look too god awful gnarly!

I know there are probably lots of areas where the tree runs aren't thinned or are left pretty much as is for the experts to play in, but on the whole,... How well thinned are the average marked glades? I imagine some are some a lot tighter than others.

Just trying to get a good idea if this is someplace I want to plan on getting to next season. I'm obviously no expert, but I'm also not a complete beginner! The double blacks are likely way beyond me, but what is your opinion on the single black diamonds?



....on a totally bummer side note! PK is closed during the week now! The complete and utter end of the riding season is certainly in sight now! :( I probably won't be able to do more than two or 3 trips to Boyne Mt. between now and when they close. cracking 50 days is not looking possible at this point. Hell, I may not even match last years total! Fuck! Jacking up back, really screwed me! I don't think I've even gotten my monies worth for the PK/Holly pass yet!

:RantExplode: :(
 
#5,188 ·
Hey Dave, Glad to hear you had a good time up there. I was curious to know what you mean when you refer to most of the runs being "steep?" Can you guesstimate the degree of slope?
dunno. Ordinary black diamond-ish mostly, maybe a little steeper. With sections probably approaching 50ish or steeper, but those would not be the norm.


Also, I gotta say from the couple of pics you posted, The trees don't look so tight that I feel like I wouldn't be able to navigate my way around them. ...

I know there are probably lots of areas where the tree runs aren't thinned or are left pretty much as is for the experts to play in, but on the whole,... How well thinned are the average marked glades? I imagine some are some a lot tighter than others.
Plenty of the gladed sections are thinned out fairly well, navigable enough you can make long traverse cuts and/or uphill turns to check speed if needed.

Just trying to get a good idea if this is someplace I want to plan on getting to next season. I'm obviously no expert, but I'm also not a complete beginner! The double blacks are likely way beyond me, but what is your opinion on the single black diamonds?
Marked trails black, probably not an issue unless the conditions are choppy. Doubles are glades. Like I said I think a lot of the glades are fairly accessible, you just need to be comfortable riding between the trees and a lot of people aren't. If you ride trees at Boyne/Crystal/Nub's/etc., then it is just the same thing but longer and a little steeper.

....on a totally bummer side note! PK is closed during the week now! The complete and utter end of the riding season is certainly in sight now! :(
Yep, so is Pine Knob. Bummer because I wanted to hit that park again. Mt. Brighton is open afternoons all week, for whatever that's worth, although it's not on your pass... I probably can't make the afternoon session any day, since it starts so late at 330pm.

Keep an eye on the weather, as of right now the weekend looks tolerable especially Saturday.

If the weather cooperates I'd like to ride Friday afternoon to free up my weekend for some other stuff I have to take care of, but if not, then maybe I get out Saturday morning somewhere.
 
#5,189 ·
Great to read about the Beast Dave, thanks for the info.

I still maintain that many of us (me included) are not at the point where we'd make the most of Bohemia enough to make it worth it. I'm not a noob and can handle a lot of individual terrain features but not all of them at the same time.

But if you guys are still hellbent on going up there I'd love to read your *honest* accounts on how it went :giggle:

On to milder hills; I'm going up to Crystal tomorrow. I'm taking the day off work and meeting Leo up there. Trapper if you wanna hitch a ride, you're welcome to. I know you're close. I'm tentatively planning on taking my little Saturn to save gas costs but I can talk the wife into letting me take the truck if I'm splitting gas with a couple guys.

If anyone else can swing it, sweet.
 
#5,190 ·
Gahhh wish I could, but no. I'm done up north until April 11. That's still on the table. Not sure if Boyne Mountain or Crystal Mountain. I could do either really. Probably Boyne. Stay for cheap in Gaylord.

Dying here... could ride Thursday day but nothing open (and it's supposed to rain). Could ride Friday, but supposed to rain. Saturday is possible but it's going to be a struggle and probably means I have to take Friday off to take care of some shit around the house.
 
#5,191 ·
Ha! Sab, judging from TWC's forecast, you might b in fora great day. I was just noticing that Boyne Mt. Is looking at possibly anywhere from 6-10" over tomorrow & fri. For that? Im seriously considering heading up early sat. Morning for an overnighter. Long tiring drive be damned.


Anybody else thinking along those lines?
 
#5,194 ·
Oh! Make no mistake,.. So is mine! :blink: To do this,.. I'm gonna have to max out the last little bit of balance in one of my CC's! :dunno: But if they get 10"? I'ma goin'!!! ;) Credit score be damned!!! :thumbsup:

I know it's only a little bit closer, but have you thouhght about hitting Cab? Liftopia had another cheap deal on LT's the other day. Might be fun in some fresh!
 
#5,201 · (Edited)
WTF??????


I just checked the Pine Knob web site and they are Closed for the Season???? Fuck!!!


No chance in hell I'm gonna match last years total days out now! I was counting on a few weekenders to get me close at least! Shit, I don't think the fucking PK/Holly pass even paid for itself this season!!!! Damn that F'd up back of mine!!!
 
#5,203 · (Edited)
I was just about to mention this. @Chomps, you can ride today 330pm until 10, and tomorrow all day. I am trying to get out there tomorrow, maybe not until afternoon/evening I'm not sure yet. Depends how much shit I get done around the house today.

The rain ultimately killed any momentum these hills had. People just stop thinking snow. That, and, I think a lot of people were just sick and fuckin' tired of winter. Plenty of snow, but they can't spin those bullwheels for free. My guy at MTH said that they'd been struggling the last few weeks with turnout, blames it on the length & depth of this winter just taking it out of everyone. So they stayed open a bit longer to try and make it worthwhile for the pass-holders, but at this point and after the rain, just doesn't make dollars so it doesn't make sense.

I get it. But I still hate it. Really wanted to ride PK's park one more time.

**Edit** Not sure they'll be open on Sunday. They might be, but right now I think they are only committed through tomorrow.
 
#5,204 ·
Mt Brighton???? Even for free,.. IDK! I might just do an overniter to Boyne. Expensive, but much better riding!


How can anybody who snowboards get sick of Winter?????? :dunno: ;)
 
#5,206 · (Edited)
Mt Brighton???? Even for free,.. IDK! I might just do an overniter to Boyne. Expensive, but much better riding!
Part of me expects full on shit show mode tomorrow but the other part of me thinks that probably it will be pretty empty. People are just over it at this point.

How can anybody who snowboards get sick of Winter?????? :dunno: ;)
IDK man, even as brutal as this winter was, I could tolerate that for the rest of my life if it meant snowboarding all the time. But I think mostly it's because most people who snowbaord aren't degenerates about it. Some of us are, though :)
 
#5,205 ·
I love to ride but I'm over this fucking winter. Sorry man!

Tomorrow will likely be my last hurrah. Heading to Crystal. Maybe, just maybe next weekend too, but tomorrow is probably the end for me.
 
#5,207 ·
hahaha, I'm not sick of it but I get it.

I can't believe I'm reading Chomps snarking about free riding and passing it up. Is this bizarro world?!

Crystal was alright I guess. Smushy snow was slow compared to what we've had this season. By mid afternoon the rain was misting to the point where visibility was next to nill so I ended up calling it a day about 2 hours early. That sucked but still had a good time with Leo in the trees. It was nice to finally have a day that was mostly blacks and trees.

I'm going to start school this fall so I'm probably looking at getting the Boyne student pass and that's it. I didn't make the most of the other hills this season.
 
#5,208 ·
hahaha, I'm not sick of it but I get it.

I can't believe I'm reading Chomps snarking about free riding and passing it up. Is this bizarro world?!
Lol! No! Not bizarro world! Even for free, I just really dislike Mt. Brighton. The runs are all 30 sec. Runs at best, it's crowded, small as hell and I dont do park. So what's to recommend it? :dunno:

If I can't get out of here early enough tomorrow to make it worth the drive up to Boyne? I might,.. probably will, go to Mt. B. But I doubt I'll find it good enough to stick around for more than a couple runs. -meh- ...maybe if that one backside run is open. Haven't been on that one yet. :dunno:
 
#5,210 ·
Ask Argo. He drove 20+ hours to ride there for the "Epic Race!"



Definitely Not worth the drive!
 
#5,213 ·
LOL! I thought you were being sarcastic! I mean I basically described how tiny (...and crummy, IMO) Mt. B was, literally in the post right above yours!

Yeah, even if you were in town and wanted to go snowboarding,.. you would be better off going to Pine Knob or Holly before going to Brighton. I mean unless you were in the hotel right round the corner or some shit. (....even then, I'd go to Pine Knob!) ;)

Brighton's strictly for kids and "park rats!" ...again, IMO! ;)





Although I hear the new bar's nice! :D :dunno:
 
#5,214 ·
....oh, no Boyne this weekend. :( I'm gonna plan on overnighter for next week instead of last minute like I did this week. :dunno:
 
#5,215 · (Edited)
Well Brighton sucked last night lol it was straight up slurpee snow and half the park was shut down too. I almost left after a few laps, debated getting back on the road and heading to hawk but figured it couldn't be much better. So I sucked it up and wore myself out riding baby features in what's left of the park. Learned nose pressed, not super consistent but definitely had a few good ones. Also a few melons and some tailfish and even a stalefish on this small side hit/hip. Not much I know but those are new grabs to me.

I know the blame goes on mother nature but I can't help thinking from post experience thst Pine Knob's snow would've been in better shape. Holly's too.

I will be surprised if they remain open after today. Looked like plenty of snow although a few barer spots. But the turnout was not good. Very deserted except for a few dozen kids lapping the park.
 
#5,216 ·
Well, had to take my remaining three vacation days the next two weeks. Only had Mon's available. So I plan to hit Boyne this Sat. Stay till mon. Got next Mon off too, so if we're thinking of doing any kind of MI regional, Boyne meet. This or next weekend is only time I could b there. :dunno:

I would prefer to stay at resort for comfort n convenience, but fuck!! They raised prices or sum shit,... Super expensive for so late in season!! Wasn't that expensive this time last year.
 
#5,217 ·
I'm planning on Boyne Mountain next weekend, 4/11-4/13.

As always, I am keeping my options open and could end up somewhere else if there was a compelling reason to do so -- for instance of by some miracle Seven Springs is still open and in decent shape, I might consider going there instead, or possibly as far as Marquette Mountain, but that would really be pushing what I can squeeze in on an ordinary weekend. So it is most likely Boyne Mountain, with possible day at Nub's Nob if they are still open.
 
#5,219 ·
Yeah, I saw that. Im hoping for an extreme long shot, cuz my little riding buddy from last season is visiting from Germany May 13. If they're open the following sat/sun we're goin riding. BIG if I know, but one can hope! :D

On a side note, anyone ever stay at any of those little motels right there in/near Boyne Falls? GM Lodge there at the Mt. is freakin expensive, but I definitely don't feel like driving 25-30 min to n from for an overnighter. Some of those non chain motel places can be real hillbilly run down dumps, but some are decent. Just askin if anyone's stayed at one in the area that is decent. :dunno:
 
#5,220 ·
what motels nearby Boyne? There used to be one right down the road called the Brown Trout. I stayed there once, I think it was $55 per night. It was like an old motor lodge kind of, with an interior hallway and shared kitchen facilities. It was sooo old and poorly decorated, although it was clean and tolerable for a solo traveler. When I stayed there would've been Feb 2012 probably, they had a "For Sale" sign up. Last winter and this winter when I have been up there, it appears to be out of business.

May 13, eh? That is *really* pushing it. :)
 
#5,221 ·
....May 13, eh? That is *really* pushing it. :)
Lol! Like I said,.. a L-o-o-o-o-o-ng shot! ;) Failing snow,.. she wants to go surfing on lake MI. :blink: (...I'll stay on shore & watch!) :D
 
#5,222 ·
Rode Hawk Island today for a few hours, day 42.

Spring conditions but soft smooth forgiving snow and plenty of sunshine. Hit the down-flat-down rail first time ever, nailed it. Man I do not want this season to end...

If I can get some laps Sunday and one day next week, plus next weekend up north I'll be like 46 or 47. I didn't think 50 would be possible but as long as Hawk stays open and I can sneak out of work to ride, it just might happen...
 
#5,223 ·
Well, the good news is, although it'll be warm during the day all next week at Boyne. It won't be 50's & 60's and it will get below freezing every night. So the snow shouldn't melt off too much by next weekend.

Im going up this Sat. Will probably do an overnighter next weekend too.

Anybody besides me and Dave looking to head up next week?
 
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